Grant - 18 months

Age: 18 Months

New Stuff: I don't plan on doing monthly updates anymore, but I feel like so much has changed with Grant since my last update!  He is talking so much more, much to my relief.  He loves to be chased around the house (while screaming!) and he LOVES to be scared.  We are constantly hiding behind walls and popping out.  He comes around corners smiling now because he's looking for us. We need to step up our game to keep him on his toes.

Words: At his 15 month checkup the doctor made me worry about his lack of words.  I've been working VERY hard to get him to talk since then, and I honestly haven't seen much from my effort... until the last week or so!  My last update at 17 months he was saying Dada, Mama, This, Uh Oh, Bubble, but not very often at all.  All of a sudden he's trying so hard to talk to us and he even repeats us now.  We are up to about 11 words that are recognizable, but he's saying much more that I just can't make out.  He says Da all of the time and sometimes I think he's saying Duck and other times Down, who knows.  But we have added Book, Ball (his all time favorite), Car (his 2nd favorite word), Hi, Bye Bye, Kitty, Shoes,  and Dog.  Everything that is round is a ball.  Periods.  The Sun.  Seriously, anything round.  He points and looks at me all serious and says Ball. 

Other Stuff: He has started picking me "flowers" aka weeds, and bringing them to me.  How adorable is that?  He LOVES giving us hugs and he's even started giving me kisses.  Of course a toddler kiss means his mouth is WIDE open when he comes at me.  I'll take his slobbery kisses any day though.  It's the most precious thing I've ever experienced.  I'm absolutely loving this age (apart from his major fit throwing of course) and I much prefer having a toddler over a baby.  I love that he can feed himself, express what he wants, show me his emotions, etc.

We took him to the park last weekend, and he had such a blast.  I took him about a month ago and it is seriously crazy how much more independent he was this time.  He was able to crawl up the playground himself and even go down the slide.  He loved the slide! He's such a little dare devil!

Grant - Halloween 2015

Halloween 2015 was a success at the Martinez casa this year. So far my husband only wants Grant to dress up as a professional athlete.  We aren't fans of the store bought costumes for little ones.  The options (especially for babies!) are very limited and usually end up being animals that are thick, hot material.  We live in Texas and Halloween is usually hot and humid, so fleece costumes aren't ideal.

Last year Grant was Michael Phelps.  I thought it was adorable and everyone at the fall festival got a kick out of it.  I loved my shirtless chunky baby!

Keeping with the sports theme, we went with our favorite quarterback, Peyton Manning!

Look at that Game Face.  Perfect!

 

 I found a tutorial online for some DIY football pads and they turned out awesome! My local craft store didn't sell the foam by the yard like the tutorial called for and they also didn't sell .5" thick foam.  I had to get 1" thick and cut it in half.  It was awful and made a huge mess, but the end result was absolutely worth it! It really made the entire outfit!

Grant - 17 months

Age: 17 months

New Stuff: He's showing so much more personality lately.  He's always been "stoic" and reserved with his emotions, but lately he has come out of his shell a little bit.  He dances, sings, and laughs around the house.  He still freezes up around strangers though.  I definitely don't have a social butterfly on my hands.  When strangers try to talk to him in the grocery store, all they get is the blank stare he's perfected.  Occasionally he will throw a wave to a stranger, but he never does it on command.  He only waves on his terms apparently!

He can point out his eyes and his nose and clap on command.

He loves, loves, loves to read and is always bringing me books.  He likes to point out things in the book and then look at me for an explanation.  He also loves to point out every bird he sees for some reason.  The kid loves birds.

Words: He still isn't talking much.  We went for a hearing test and found out that he hears just fine.  At this point we are just assuming he's a late bloomer when it comes to talking, but we will see where he is at his next wellness appointment.  He does say Dada, Mama, This, Uh Oh, Bubble.

He's able to understand what we are saying now and follow commands.  He knows what it means to eat dinner, go night night, take a bath, go to school, and his absolute favorite, "Let's go ride!"  He is obsessed with riding the 4-wheeler.  We try ride in the evenings before bed and he looks forward to it.  He even knows what button to push to start it and he can do it all by himself.

We took him to the East Texas State Fair and he was not impressed with the Merry Go Round. However, he LOVED funnel cake. See that look on the Merry Go Round?  That's what he gives strangers in the store.  They try and try and he refuses to deviate from that serious face.  I always try to explain that it's not them personally, it's how he is with ALL strangers!

Other Stuff: He's really into toys now and it is SO much fun to buy him fun stuff.  We have probably already gone overboard with buying stuff, but we get so much enjoyment out of his enjoyment.  My latest splurge was his own little "quad" 4-wheeler that has a track.  He can't steer yet, so he can just ride it around in a circle in his playroom.  So fun!

We've had quite a few bouts with sickness lately, which have been anything but fun.  He had an eye/ear infection combo, and on the final day of antibiotics, he either caught a stomach virus or got food poisoning.  Either way, it was bad.  In the car.  And all night long.  So we've been initiated into the puke club of parenthood.

Luckily he seems to be over it all now, so here's to hoping for a few weeks of wellness!

Stitch Fix - Fix #5

Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service. When you sign up you fill out a surprisingly in-depth Style Profile about your sizes, your style, and pricing preferences, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month. This can include or exclude accessories as well.  The fee for this service is $20, and that includes FREE shipping and FREE returns. If you decide to keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you decide to keep all five items in your "fix", you also get a 25% discount!) 

Once your Fix is delivered, you get to try them all on and decide if you want to keep any of the items or send them back in the prepaid return envelope.  Whatever you keep, you pay for.  If you don't like anything, you send it all back and you are just out the $20 styling fee.

 Stitch Fix - Fix #5

 Skies Are Blue Oleander Embroidery Detail Top - $58.00

Thoughts: Hated it.  Too short.  Not my style.  Wasn't a fan of the print or embroidery.  Honestly I disliked everything about this shirt.

Verdict: Returned

Pixley Greenich Striped Knit Top - $48.00

Thoughts: If I had to keep one thing from this fix, it would have been this shirt.  However, I couldn't talk myself into paying $48 for a basic striped tee.  The cute little elbow detail was nice, but pretty sure Target has shirts similar to this for less than $20.

Verdict: Returned

Kut From The Kloth Bennett Dress - $78.00

Thoughts: Awful.  Absolutely awful.  There was nothing flattering about this dress.  It was a hot mess.  The waist hit me way too low, the whole dress was heavy and baggy, the sleeves were strange.  Couldn't put this in the return bag quickly enough.

Verdict: Returned

 

Loveappella Dai Dress Dress - $68.00

Thoughts: This was the least offensive dress in the fix, but it was not at all flattering on my post-baby body. It showed every lump and bump.  Not a good look for me.  It would be adorable on a size 2 though! I loved the back detail.

Verdict: Returned

 

Papermoon Hadley Shift Dress - $58.00

Thoughts: I requested a couple of shift dresses on my Pinterest board, so I'm assuming that's why this dress was selected.  It wasn't one that I pinned.  I wanted something classic, sophisticated.  This looks more like a summer, going out dress.  Not sure if this style just isn't for me or if it was just too big, but it looked like a sack.  Maybe if I belted it or something, but I feel like that defeats the purpose of this dress.  It made me look bigger than I am, and I wasn't a fan of the print, so back it goes.

Verdict: Returned
 

Overall, I was really disappointed in this fix.  I usually try to keep one item so I don't lose my styling fee, but I couldn't justify anything in this fix.  The long sleeved striped tee was the only thing I would actually wear out of this fix, but it was overpriced for a basic shirt.

4th Anniversary - Maui, Hawaii

4th year of marriage is officially in the books! That means that we just got back from our anniversary vacation.  So far we've made it a tradition to go on vacation every year to celebrate our marriage.  I know that it will probably change now that we've started our family, but we are definitely enjoying it while it lasts. :)

 

This year we decided to go back to Maui.  I know, I know.  Again? Yep.  It's our third time to go.  We honeymooned there, spent our 2nd anniversary there, and now our 4th.  We absolutely love it!

 

But enough of that, here are some pictures from this trip!

 

Gotta start it off with a GoPro selfie.  We usually only get 1-2 pics of us together, so here is one.

 

 

My husband loves trying to find me a new profile picture.  So lots of pictures of me!

 

 

I loved this shot during the sunset.  Sporting one of my favorite Stitch Fix dresses.  Check out my Stitch Fix posts if you are interested!

 

 

And of course the gorgeous views everywhere!

 

 

There were some huge waves this trip due to the 3 hurricanes that went around Hawaii so we saw a lot of surfing.

 

We were so lucky to see a perfect sunrise from the top of Haleakala this trip.  We tried last time, but it was worst case scenario weather and it was cloudy, rainy, and you couldn't even see the sun.  This time it was totally worth waking up at 2am and freezing our butt off at the top! It was 48 degrees and windy up there.

 

 

So there you go! A great trip! Looking forward to what year 5 has in store for us.



Stitch Fix - Fix #4 August 2015

Stitch Fix is a monthly styling subscription service. When you sign up you fill out a surprisingly in-depth Style Profile about your sizes, your style, and pricing preferences, and then your personal stylist sends you 5 items to try once a month. This can include or exclude accessories as well.  The fee for this service is $20, and that includes FREE shipping and FREE returns. If you decide to keep any of the items they send you, you get to deduct the $20 fee from the total. (If you decide to keep all five items in your "fix", you also get a 25% discount!) 

Once your Fix is delivered, you get to try them all on and decide if you want to keep any of the items or send them back in the prepaid return envelope.  Whatever you keep, you pay for.  If you don't like anything, you send it all back and you are just out the $20 styling fee.

 Stitch Fix - Fix #4

 This month, I decided to try out accessories.  I never buy jewelry and I really need a few necklace options.  I didn't bother taking photos of the clothes this month, so I included pictures of the style cards.

  Genevieve Stacked Chevron Pendant Necklace - $28.00

Thoughts: Love.  Exactly what I wanted.  Looks great with the dress I kept from my last fix :)
Verdict: KEPT!

Montgomery Chevron Cross-Fit Top - $48.00

Thoughts: Hated it.  I am not a fan of tops that are draped like this.  I'm really over chevron print too. Pass.
Verdict: Returned

Loveappella Tilly Lace Overlay Knit Tank - $48.00

Thoughts: Eh. Looked cute on, but the material was surprisingly thick and heavy.  The style isn't work appropriate (too much shoulder) and is too heavy for Texas summers, so back it went.
Verdict: Returned
 
Pixley Abi Colorblock Maxi Dress - $88.00

Thoughts: Okay, so far I've kept every maxi dress SF has sent me.  I am pretty certain I said no more maxis in my note, but alas, another maxi came.  These maxis are fabulous, but they are just so darn expensive! I honestly didn't even want to try it on because I already told myself I wasn't keeping it.  My closet is officially maxi dressed out!  It was adorable though and felt great on.  If it was half the price I would have kept it.
Verdict: Returned (but it was adorable)
 
 Liverpool Denise Boot Cut Jean - $78.00


Thoughts: Eh. These jeans were okay.  Just okay.  I have only bought jeans from the Buckle for the last 10 years, and these cost just ask much as my usual BKE jeans.  When I buy jeans, it is for the fit AND the design on the back pocket.  These were plain, the fit wasn't fabulous, and not worth the high price.
Verdict: Returned
 
Overall, I was disappointed in this fix. I really, really wanted a pair of shorts, but apparently they were sold out.  I requested that this fix be tailored to my upcoming vacation (can't wait to do a post on my trip!) and it really missed the mark.  Jeans and a heavy knit top for the beach?  Pass.  I did love the maxi, but I just can't keep filling my closet with maxi dresses. I am happy with the necklace though and I will definitely be taking that on my trip :)